High-pressure steam system



July 6 1926.

H. A. YOUNG HIGH PRESSURE STEAM SYSTEM Filed March 1925 fizz/67%.- a Loward kfl. young Patented July 6, 1 926.

HOWARD A. YOUNG, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

HIGH-PRESSURE STEAM SYSTEM.

Application filed March 12, 1925.

- This invention relates in general to means for draining high pressuresteam systems of the products of condensation, gases and vapors, etc.,which accumulate therein, and relates particularly to a system forproducing a vacuum in the pipe leading from said heating system wherebythe liljiuid therefrom is returned to the steam pro ucing unit.

In heating systems of this character, it is understood that air andother non-condensible gases must be withdrawn from the radiator togetherwith a variable amount of water vapor andcondensed steam whichaccumulates in the radiators and in the pipe leading thereto andtherefrom.

Various methods of obtaining this result have been installed and many ofthem involve complicated machinery attendant with a great deal of noiseand confusion which have made them more or less impractical. In myUnited States Letters Patent, #1,- 287,169, issued December .10, 1918, Ihave shown a device or system for producing a vacuum in heating systemshaving a ow pressure in which, through injector means, a suction iscreated whereby the products of condensation, water vapor, gases, etc.,are withdrawn from the radiators, and my present invention is designedfor the purpose of roducing like results in a system where a igh steampressure is used.

Many of the parts and devices used in my aforementioned patent areapplicable to my present system, but, by reference to the said patent,it will be noticed that the air returned from the radiators, etc., isused to create a pressure to force the accumulated discharged liquidback into the boiler. In my present invention, an extraneous means mustbe provided for this purpose .and I have provided a high pressurecontainer for obtaining the same result in a high pressure steam system.The main objection to the use of the device shown in my aforementionedUnited States Letters Patent in,

connection with high pressure systems is that the air capacity from theinjector, being compelled to discharge against the pres sure in thecontainer, is greatly reduced, and in order to overcome this objection,I have devised the arrangement set forth, in this application.

' In order to better understand my invention I have illustrated theentire system, omitting" only the steam heating unit, on theaccompanying sheet of drawing, and this Serial No. 14,827.

drawing should be considered in connection with the description whichfollows:

The single figure shown on the drawing represents a side elevation ofthat portion of the heating system constituting my invention.

Referrin in detail to the drawing, the reference 0 aracter 5 representsa' reservoir or container of suitable size and shape and for the purposeof better illustrating my invention I have divided the said containerinto two compartments by means of the partition 6 which, however, ismerely so indicated on the drawing that a ready understanding may be hadof the same, while in actual practice, the high pressure container 7 andlow pressure contalner 8 formed by the partition 6 in the illustrationwill probably be separate containers, as condltions and experiments willdetermine.

In my illustration I have shown the said container 5 mounted upon asuitable base 9 1n an upright position, and from the lower, portion ofthe container 7, a pipe 10 leads directly to the intake side of acentrifugal pump 11 also mounted on the base 9 and in close proximity tothe said container. This pump 11 may be of any well known or preferreddesign and is driven b means of a direct connection 12 with a suitabledriving member, and, while in the present illustration I have shown anelectrlc motor 13 used for'such purpose, it is apparent that a steamturbine motor or other means may be used for the purpose of operatingthe pump. The motor 13 is driven from any suitable source of power andmay be automatically connected with the steam heating system or may bemanually operated when .the steam heating system is in use.

Connecting with the discharge side 14 of the centrifugal pump 11 is athree-way pipe coupling 15, one side thereof leading directly to theinjector member which I have designated generally by the referencecharacter 16. This injector is provided with a suction chamber 17 andfor the purpose of my invention I have assumed that an in-- jector ofthe same type shown and described in my application for United StatesLetters Patent Serial N o. 7 49,071, filed November 10, 1924, may beused. A pipe 18 connects with one side of the suction chamber 17 andleads directly to the radiator 19 as shown. At that side of the injector16 opposite to where it connects the member 15 is a pipe 20 whichpresent illustration is shown as extending upwardly and into the lowerportion of the low pressure container 8 as indicated by the numeral 25.Such pipe is provided with a valve which is generally indicated by thenumeral 26 and such valve is connected through the intermediateconnection 27 with a copper ball float 28 in the container 8. Thecontainer 8, adapted to receive the products of condensation, etc., aslater explained, is provided at the upper end thereof with a vent oroutlet 29 which is open to atmosphere as hereinafter explained. At theupper porp tion of one side of the high pressure container 7 is anoutlet pipe 30 which is provided with a suitable safety valve 31 andleads to the boiler or steam heat producing unit (not shown) while theflow of the liquid from the said high pressure container 7 is controlledthrough the medium of a check valve 33 located in said pi e. The use andoperation of my improve steam heating system will be readily understoodfrom the following description.

Considering the motor 13 operating to drive the pump 11 and the liquidin the chamber 7 being under pressure, the said liquid is drawn throughthe pipe 10 into the pump 11 where the pressure of the same is raised atthe discharge point 14 by means of said pump. \Vhen the said liquid fromthe discharge point-14 of the pipe reaches the three-way coupling 15,part of the same is forced upwardly into the injector 16 and formsa-vacuum in the pipe 18 so that the products of condensation, water,vapor, gases, etc., are drawn into the pipe 20 and pass with said liquidinto the upper portion of the low pressure chamber 8. This chamber 8,being open to the atmosphere, will allow the escape of the gases, etc.,through the vent 29, while the liquid will tend to raise the level whichI have indicated by the reference numeral 3 2. A portion of the liquiddischarged from the pump 11 at the point 14 will pass into the injector21 connecting the pipe 22 with the upper portion of the container 7, andwill tend to create a vacuum in the pipe 24 leading to the low pressurecontainer at the int 25.

lVhen the liquid level 32 in the low pressure container 8 has reached apredetermined point, the valve 26 in the pipe 24 will be operatedthrough the medium of the float 28 and intermediate connections 27 inorder to permit the contents of said container to be drawn downwardly tothe suction chamber 23 of the injector 21 and thus forced through thepipe 22 into the high pressure container 7. It will be readily seen thatthe pressure in the high pressure container 7 will be raised over itsinitial pressure by means of the centrifugal pump 11 and the increase insaid pressure will be the pressure at the discharge end 14 of said pumpless the pressure consumed in the operation of the injectors 16 and 21.

The high pressure container 7 is normally filled with liquid and as theliquid from the drain pipe 18 from the radiators is drawn into thecontainer 8 and subsequently into the container 7, the pressure thereofwill be increased so that when said pressure becomes great enough toovercome the pressure in the boiler or heat producing unit (not shown)the check valve 33, located in the ipe 30 will be opened and will allowthe liquid from the said high pressure container to flow into the boileror heat producing unit.

In the drawings, I have shown by the dotted arrows the two passages offlow of liquid and it will be noted that one path is directly from thebottom of the high pressure container 7 through the pump 11, theinjector 21 and back to the upper ortion of the said high pressurecontainer. he threeway coupling 15 forms the dividing point of theliquid from the discharge side 14 of the pimp 11 and the path of theliquid used in the injector 16 for forming the suction chamber 17 willbe through the pipe 20 and into the low pressure container 8 where, whena predetermined level 32 is attained, the valve 26 is operated throughthe intermediate connections 27 in the pipe 24 and the liquid permittedto flow from the said container 'where it is drawn down to the suctionside 23 of the injector and forced into the upper portion of the highpressure container 7. The low pressure container 8 is open to atmospherethrough the vent 29, and none of the gases or the air from saidcontainer will be permitted to pass through the valve 26 and suctionchamber 23 into the high pressure container'7.

It will be manifest from the foregoing description, that I have provideda system which will maintain a constant vacuum in the return pipe 18from the heaters or radiators and this vacuum will withdraw all productsof condensation, water gases, vapors, etc., therefrom, irrespective ofthe amounts'or proportions. of each, and that when the gases, etc., areadmitted into the low pressure container 8, they are free to escape tothe atmosphere through the vent 29,

while the condensed liquid will be delivered into the said container andthus raise the level 32 thereof until the predetermined point thereinhas been reached for operating the valve 26 through means of the float28 and intermediate connections 27.

It is believed that my invention, its construction, mode of operationand many of its inherent advantages will be understood and appreciatedwithout further description, and w I have shown -andrdescribed apreferre'd" embodiment, it is obvious that the details may be variedwithin wide limits without departing from the spirit of the invention orfrom the scope of the appended claims.

, I claim:

1. In a high pressure steam system, a high pressure container, a circuitleading from the lower to the upper portions of said container, acentrifugal pump, interposed in said circuit, a pipe leading from asteam heating system, an extension from said circuit, an injector insaid extension, the pipe from said steam system being connected withthesuction side thereof, a container connecting with said extension forreceivin the liquid therefrom, means for automatica ly delivering theliquid from the last named container to the high pressure container, andmeans automatically permitting the liquid to flow from said highpressure container when the pressure therein becomes greater than thatin the steam heat producing unit. I

2. In a high pressure steam system, the combination of a centrifugalpump, a liquid container extending above said pump and comprising a highpressure compartment and a low pressure compartment, an intake pipeconnecting the lower portions of said high pressure compartment withsaid pump, a discharge pipe leading from the pump and extending to theupper portion of said high pressure compartment and to the upper portionof said lowpressure compartment, an injector interposed in eachextension of said discharge pipe, that in the low pressure compartmenthaving its suction side connected with the heating system, a by-passconnected between the lower part of the low pressure compartment and.the suction side of the injector in that part of the discharge pipeleading to the upper part of the high pressure compartment, means forautomatically permitting the liquid in the low pressure compartment toflow through said by-pass, and means for automatically permitting liquidto flow fromsaid high pressure compartment when the pressure thereinbecomes greater than the pressure in the steam heat producing unit.

3. In a high pressure steam system, the

combination of a high and a low pressure liquid compartment, acentrifugal: pump connecting the lower portion of sald high pressurecompartment, a discharge pipe from saidpump having one branch thereofleading to the top of the high pressure com partment and one branchleading to the top of the low pressure compartment, an injectorinterposed in the low pressure branch of said discharge pipe, a returnpipe from a heating system connected with the suction side of saidinjector, an injector located in the high pressure branch of saiddischarge pipe, a by-passfrom the bottom of the low pressure compartmentand connected with the suction side of said last named injector, andmeans automatically permitting liquid to fiow from said high pressurechamber when the pressure therein becomes greater than the pressure inthe steam heat producing unit,

4. In a high pressure steam system, the combination of a centrifugalpump, a high pressure liquid container, an intake pipe' connectin thelower portion of said container an said pump, a discharge pipe leadingfrom said pump and extending to the upper portion of said containerwhereb the pressure in said container is increase an auxiliary containerat atmospheric pressure,

an extension from said discharge pipe and.

extending to the upper portion of said low pressure container, aninjector in said extension having its suction side connecting a pipefrom a steam heating system, a pipe normally closed leading from thelower portion of said low pressure container and being connected withthe suction side of an injector located in said discharge pipe andbeyond said extension, means automatically controlled for permittingliquid to flow from said low pressure container to the suction side ofsaid last named injector whereby said liquid is drawn into said highpressure container, and means automatically permitting liquid to flowfrom said high pressure container when the pressure therein becomesgreater than the pressure in the steam heat producing unit.

5, In a high pressure steam system, the combination of a high and a lowpressure container, a ipe leading from the lower portion of said highpressure container, a centrifugal pump connecting said pipe, dischargepipes leading to the upper portion of said high pressure chamber and theupper portion of said low pressure chamber, wherebyvthe liquid from thedischarge side of said pump is divided between said pipes, a pipeleading from a steam heating system, an injector in that portion of saiddischarge pi e leading to the low pressure container and havingitssuction side connecting the pipe from theisteam heating system, sothat the contents thereof are drawn into said low pressure container,pipe leading from the lower part of the low pressure container to thatportion of the discharge pipe leading to the high pressure chamber, aninjector in the last named portion of said discharge pipe and having itssuction side connecting the pipe from the lower portion of the lowpressure container, a valve in said last named pi 3e operated by thevolume of water in sai low pressure chamber" so that the liquid fromsaid chamber is drawn into the high pressure chamber, and a valvecontrolled .by the pressure in said high pressure chamber forautomatically permitting the liquid to flow therefrom when the pressuretherein becomes greater than the pressure in the steam heat producingunit.

6. In a high pressure steam system. a high pressure container, a circuitleading from the lower to the upper portions of said container, acentrifugal pump interposed in said circuit, a container at atmosphericpressure, an extension leading from the discharge side of the pump insaid circuit and to the upper portion of said last named container, apipe leading from a steam hearing system, an injector in said extensionhaving itssuction side connected with said pipe whereby part of thedischar e from said pum together with the pr nets of condensation, gasesand vapors from the heating system are delivered to said low pressurecontainer, a pipe leading from the ovrer portion of the low pressurecontainer and connecting with said circuit at a point between saidextension and the high reusure container, an injector interpose in saidcircuit between said last named pipe and said high pressure chamber, thesuction side thereof adapted to communicate with said pipe, a valve insaid last named pipe adapted to open when the liquid in the low pressuretank rises to a fixed level, and means automatically permitting theliquid in the high pressure container to flow therefrom when thepressure therein becomes greater than the pressure in the steam heatproducing unit.

HO'WARD A. YOUNG.

